Former Minister of Transportation and presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has promised to transform Nigeria within four years if elected president in the 2027 general election.
Amaechi made the declaration on Thursday shortly after submitting his nomination forms at the national headquarters of the African Democratic Congress in Abuja.
The former Rivers State governor used the occasion to criticise the administration of Bola Tinubu, accusing it of worsening the economic hardship facing Nigerians.
According to him, the 2027 presidential election should be decided on competence, leadership capacity and performance rather than ethnic or regional sentiments.
“Nigerians should assess everybody contesting for office based on their track records and contributions to national development,” Amaechi said.
“Nearly everyone running for the presidency has served the country in one capacity or another. Let Nigerians compare our performances and vote for the candidate who has demonstrated the capacity to deliver.”
The former minister maintained that his years in public service had equipped him with the experience needed to lead the country effectively.
He pointed to his tenure as governor of Rivers State and later as Minister of Transportation under former President Muhammadu Buhari as evidence of his administrative and leadership credentials.
“Who has the experience? Who can mobilise support across the country? Who has the capacity to defeat the incumbent? I believe I possess the experience and competence required,” he stated.
“Go to Rivers State and examine my record as governor. Go to the Ministry of Transportation and look at the projects executed under my watch. If Nigerians assess fairly, they will see that I can turn the country around, and I will do so within four years.”
Amaechi, who governed Rivers State between 2007 and 2015, was among the prominent figures involved in the formation of the All Progressives Congress and later served as Director-General of Buhari’s 2015 presidential campaign.
As Minister of Transportation from 2015 to 2023, he supervised several railway infrastructure projects, including the Abuja-Kaduna and Lagos-Ibadan rail lines.
Speaking further on the nation’s economic situation, Amaechi blamed the current administration for the rising cost of living and declining purchasing power across the country.
“Nigerians should vote based on merit and competence, not on ethnic considerations or slogans about whose turn it is,” he said.
“It is the politics of entitlement and the ‘Emilokan’ mentality that brought the country to where it is today. Nigerians are now paying the price through hardship and economic suffering.”
He argued that economic realities affect all Nigerians irrespective of religion, tribe or region.
“There is no separate market for Christians, Muslims, northerners or southerners. Everybody faces the same economic challenges because the value of the naira affects all citizens equally,” he added.
Amaechi further criticised the ruling APC, saying the party should accept responsibility for the current economic situation in the country.
“The suffering Nigerians are experiencing today is the consequence of the policies of the present administration. I do not understand why the President wants to seek re-election, and I do not know why the APC wants to continue in office after the level of hardship Nigerians are facing,” he said.
On the forthcoming ADC presidential primaries, the former minister said he preferred a transparent primary election process but would accept a consensus arrangement if party stakeholders agreed on his candidacy.
“I am prepared for the primaries. If the party adopts consensus and I emerge as the consensus candidate, that is fine. Otherwise, I am fully ready to contest,” he stated.
